You Wanted It To Be Picture Perfect
by waddlesthepenguin123
Summary: Its Private's 10th birthday and Skipper finally decides its time to embark on a journey to find Private's parents, but it doesn't quite go as planned. Just a fluffy little skipper/private father/son story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** Another lame title brought to you by me xD. Actually, it's a line from a song, because apparently when everyone else got sprinkled with the amazing title fairy dust i was totally missed. Anyway,I've had this idea for a while and I finally started it. Yeah, this chapter is a bit short but the next one's longer, I have it written, I just need to type it up.

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"Happy birthday!" Skipper, Kowalski and Rico shouted in unison as Private entered HQ.

Private smiled shyly. "Awww, thanks guys, but you know I don't want to make a big deal out of my birthday."

"Too bad, today's your special day and your going to enjoy it, that's an order soldier." Skipper said, showing the youngest cadet to the table, where a birthday cake sat, ten candles lit.

"It's completely frivolous, but Skipper says its necessary, so make a wish Private, and if the HQ catches on fire, I wont be responsible." Skipper sent a glare to the scientist, promptly shutting him up.

Private giggled at the others bickering and blew out the candles. _I wish I could meet my parents._

"Cake" Rico said proudly, cutting a piece for Private and waiting for his reaction.

"Mmmm, it's really yummy Rico, good job and thanks" Private mumbled through a mouthful of cake,

Rico took a bow. "Well thank you."

"We got you a gift too" Kowalski said, handing Private a crudely wrapped package. "It's from all of us, but I wrapped it" He continued on proudly.

"Thanks guys, but Kowalski, stick to the science" Private laughed.

Kowalski let out a humph as Private unwrapped his present.

"Oooooh, season 2 of the Lunacorns, yay!" Private squealed happily.

"Thanks guys, really, I didn't expect anything, this was awesome!" Private said, delighted that they had went to all this trouble just for him.

"Your welcome" Skipper replied, patting the top of the younger's head affectionately. "You can have the rest of today off, we'll go do some drills or something so you can watch that silly show"

The three oldest penguins filled out of HQ.

Private sighed contentedly. Skipper rarely gave days off and Private knew he should savour it. He popped in the new DVD, feeling comforted by the familiar theme song.

"Just because its your birthday doesn't mean you can stay up all night, you need your rest soldier." Skipper scolded gently, spotting the youngest still glued to the TV.

"Sorry Skippah" Private said with a sheepish smile. "Guess I lost track of time."

Skipper cleared his throat nervously, knowing he couldn't procrastinate any longer. "Actually Private, I'd like to talk to you."

Private eyes widened in fright, wondering if he was in trouble.

Skipper chuckled at the younger's reaction. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble." He took a seat next to Private as he turned off the TV and looked at Skipper.

"I really don't know how to say this." Skipper started. "Do you remember when you came here?"

Private shook his head no.

Skipper took a deep breath. "Well you were transferred here from another zoo, you were really little, no wonder you don't remember. It was heartbreaking, how they could just ship out someone so tiny and innocent without their parents, all alone. You were so scared and alone...you spent the first week crying for your parents. I couldn't stand to see you cry like that...it was horrible. This might sound a little crazy, but I promised you that I'd help you find your parents when you were old enough, which I think is now." Skipper looked to the ground, wondering if he sounded like a complete moron.

"Really Skippah?" Private asked hopefully, feeling an incredible joy.

"Well yeah" Skipper said a little embarrassed. "I figured it was only fair, when they ripped you away from your family and parents and everything. Don't get me wrong, I'm not letting you go by yourself, no matter how well your trained, your still a child, so I'm coming with you-"

Private felt as if he would explode from overwhelming delight. He leapt up and hugged his leader tightly. "Oh thank you Skippah! Thank you so much! It's exactly what I wished for! It came true! It's the best birthday present evah!'

Skipper smiled. "Yeah, okay, you're welcome little guy" He awkwardly patted him on the back before prying the youngest from him.

"Really Skippah, it mean a lot" Private said earnestly, tears of joy in his eyes.

"Are you crying?" Skipper asked incredibly. _Children are so emotional._

"From happiness" Private whispered.

Skipper cleared his throat. "Then its a good time for you to hit the sack, sorry for keeping you up" He said, heading to his bunk.

"Thank you Skippah, again" Private said, giving a last heartfelt hug before jumping into his own bunk, soon dozing off and dreaming of the journey to come.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** i told you this chapter would be longer xD

Disclaimer(I always forget to put this *facepalm*): i dont know POM or the characters or anthing, dreamworks and nickeloden do.

Private had forgotten how hard goodbyes could be until he had to make himself. He was leaving his team, and even he himself wasn't sure what would happen once he stepped outside the zoo gates, but he had a feeling in his gut that he would see them again. He had to. They had taken him under their wing and cared for him since he was a child; they were the only family he had ever known. _Skipper always says listen to your gut. And my gut says I'll see them again._ The youngest took comfort in that as he tried to say goodbye.

Skipper stood by the entrance of HQ as Private said his goodbyes. _He was a good kid; I'll miss the little guy. Maybe not his annoying show, but I will miss everything else. He would have made a great leader one day._ He knew it was true, he felt it in gut and his gut was never wrong. Once Private grew up he could be a great as a leader as himself. He couldn't be prouder, knowing he had a part in raising the child, even if it had been just thrown at him, Skipper eventually accepted the responsibility graciously. He had to admit, he had become attached tot he boy and sometimes caught himself thinking he was in fact his own child, it would be hard to let him go. However, it was best for the child and that was all he wanted, besides, he had promised. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, knowing that he had to be alert, that this could be a dangerous journey and he would have to protect the child.

Private had never imagined it would have been so hard, but it was done. He gave his Lunacorn one last hug; he was leaving it here, as per Skipper's orders. He said he was getting too big for it anyway and that it would be easier if they took nothing. _Soon I won't need a stuffed animal; I'll have my own parents to hug._

They crept out of the zoo stealthily, Skipper quickly putting up his flipper to block the youngest path before they reached the sidewalk. "You're going to have to listen to me Private, its important, no laughing matter. It's a big bad world out there and I don't want to see you get hurt."

Private smiled, Skipper had never told him so bluntly he cared. "I'll listen to you Skippah" He said honestly, scampering after the older before taking one last took at the zoo behind them.

They turned right and belly slid along the sidewalk, Skipper keeping a sharp lookout for humans. They ducked into an ally and came to a halt. Private looked at Skipper questionably, wondering if the leader had changed his mind.

"Alice" The older supplied, obviously annoyed of the humans presence.

"Really?" Private asked curiously, peeking around the corner to catch a glimpse of the human outside zoo grounds. Private sighed disappointedly. _She looks the same, maybe even grumpier._

Skipper pulled the younger back hurriedly, but it was too late, Alice had already spotted them.

"Hey! Its those penguins, they're outside the zoo!" She shouted surprised. "I always knew they were up to something," She mumbled victoriously as she quickened her pace.

Skipper heard her voice and looked around the dead end desperately. He spotted a fire escape ladder and urgently shoved Private towards it. Private scrambled up, Skipper right behind him. They reached the top and crouched down, watching Alice look around confused. She scratched her head and turned back to the sidewalk, muttering under her breath.

Skipper let out the breath he had been holding and looked over at Private, ready to chew him out. Private had his head lowered and was twisting his flippers nervously, upset that he had messed up already.

"That was stupid." Skipper said bluntly.

"Sorry Skippah" Private whispered, still not raising his head.

Skipper took a few deep breaths, knowing he couldn't let his anger get the better of him and make him say something he would regret. "This is what I'm talking about Private. We weren't even gone 5 minutes and yup almost got us caught!"

"Sorry Skippah" Private whispered again.

"Sorry sorry sorry, is that all you know how to say Private? Saying your sorry isn't going to change what happened! Come on, we're going home." He ranted, making his way down the ladder.

Private leapt up. "No Skippah! Please! I'm sorry! I really am, I promise I won't do it again, or anything stupid at all, please, we can't go home now, not after it was so hard to leave, please Skippah, you promised." Private's voice turned pleading and Skipper could hear the tears catching in his throat.

This caused Skipper stopped mid step, seeing Private on the verge of tears pulled at his heartstrings, every single time, and the younger's words had hit home. _I did promise him, I can't disappoint him._ He reluctantly climbed back up. He had known it wouldn't be easy to take a mere child across the ocean to another continent, but it seemed to be getting more difficult each minute that passed. He wasn't going to give up though; they hadn't even made it out of the city yet. "Your Private, your just a kid, your always going to do stupid stuff, don't make a promise you know you can't keep. Just please try to stay out of the humans sight and don't ever go running off, no matter what happens, your too young to be out there alone."

Private finally met his leaders gaze. "So you don't hate me," He asked shakily.

Skipper shook his head no, suppressing the urge to laugh. He couldn't hate Private, no matter what happened, he might get angry sometimes but he could never hate him. He just wanted the best for the boy; the little guy had worked his way into a special place in his heart. He had never wanted to be a parent; he was a prime fighting machine, not a babysitter. In fact, he had resented it at first; it was too much responsibility, more than Skipper was ready for, but that resentment had not even lasted a day as the little burden turned magically into a blessing.

"Skipper" Private asked nervously.

"I could never hate you Private. I know I'm harsh sometimes, and I'm sorry for that, but I just don't want to see you get hurt. Maybe I'm going about it wrong but I just want to protect you. I'm not good with this kind of responsibility.

"Its okay Skippah, I can take care of myself. You trained me well, I'd be okay Skippah."

"You are not going by yourself Private, I don't care how well your trained, your just a kid, you wouldn't make it. You have no idea what its like out there, that's why I'm here." Private opened his beak to argue but Skipper cut him off. "There's no argument Private, so don't even try, case closed. He gave a stern look and helped the younger up from his seat on the roof. "Come on, standing around here is just wasting time."

"Umm Skippah?" Private said, worriedly peering over the edge and noticed the increase of humans milling around.

"Crud." Skipper muttered. He made his way to the edge of the building, judging the tiny distance to the next rooftop. Private appeared besides him, nervously clutching onto Skipper when they noticed how high up they were. "Think you can make it?" Skipper asked. He noticed the younger looking down at the ground below them in fear. "For Pete's sake, don't look down!" He shouted in frustration.

"I think so," Private stammered in response to the leader's first question.

"Just don't look down. Don't even think about it, you'll be okay, it's not that far." Skipper tried to reassure.

In fact, Skipper was right, the gap was nearly miniscule, but it was just large enough for a penguin to fall to his death. Yet this fear far outweighed Private's knowledge that the gap was small.

"You got to jump Private," Skipper said impatiently, already tiring of the childish behaviour. "You'll be fine."

Private took a deep breath and jumped, not wanting Skipper to think he was a wimp.

Skipper watched, his heart pounding until Private landed safely on the other side. He let out a sigh of relief and jumped himself. He landed on the other side and noticed Private peering down over the edge again. "Don't wave to the humans Private" Sipper said exasperated.

Private looked up sheepishly. "Couldn't help it Skippah, they are so easily amused."

"I agree Private, but we don't have time to humour the humans, in fact, I think we should be hiding from them."

Private grinned. "You're probably right"

They made their way to the edge of the roof again and Skipper spotted an alleyway behind the next building. "Just one more jump." Skipper said encouragingly, gulping when he looked across the distance. This gap was wider, not significantly wider, but large enough to give him a twinge of worry.

Private echoed Skipper's worried expression but the leader put on a fake grin.

"This ones more scary" Private admitted in a whisper.

"It'll be all right, just don't look down, and jump as far as you can, you wouldn't want to fall." Skippers head was filled with images of a smashed penguin lying on a bloody sidewalk and gave an involuntarily shudder.

Private took a deep breath and looked at the leader one last time before he jumped once again,

Skipper held his breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them, Privates flipper was grasping the ledge. However, something was not right, Private couldn't get a grip. He watched horrified as Private just hung there preciously, hanging on with what little grip he had for dear life.

"Pull yourself up private!" He shouted frantically, launching himself on top of the other building.

"I cant Skippah, I can't reach" Private whimpered, petrified.

Skipper lay down on his stomach, inching forward until he could extend his flippers over the edge and he met Private's scared face.

"Grab my flippers," He instructed.

Private whimpered again but carefully shifted his weight and grabbed Skippers flipper with his free one. Skipper felt the other penguins grip on the building finally slip and he lunged for him desperately. He reached him, but it was too late as they slipped over the edge. They were falling, falling, falling. The wind whipping around them and the world rushing by too fast. Skipper felt sick and closed his eyes, waiting for them to crash onto the ground and had one heart wrenching thought. _I failed him._


	3. Chapter 3

The thing about freefall is that it's long enough for icy cold fear to pump through your veins, but it's too short to react. You're at the mercy of pure luck, unable to save yourself.

Private's scream caused Skipper to come back to the present and open his eyes. They were getting closer and closer, the ground rushing towards them at an unbelievable speed.

They landed with a sickening jolt. Skipper lay still, the pain taking over his body. He waited for his life to flash before his eyes. _There would be a light, right? Please don't let it be painful._ He wondered if he was in fact dead already. The only thing he could hear was his blood pounding through his body, as if the rest of the world didn't exist._ Nope, not dead, at least not yet._ He just lay there until his senses slowly came back. He heard human voices, car horns, the whir of machinery, typical city sounds. He felt something shift against him and groggily opened his eyes. Everything was blurry at first and he panicked, wondering if he would be blind. Soon though, his focus seemed to come in and he took in his surroundings.

His memory returned as he looked around. They weren't lying splattered on the ground in a gruesome mess, their insides ion the outside, no; they were lying on an awning, the kind above many stores entrances. Private moaned quietly and Skipper turned his attention to the child, feeling horribly guilty he had not paid attention to him before. Private looked at his leader with wide eyes.

"Private!" Skipper exclaimed worriedly. "Are you okay? Is anything broken? I'm so sorry Private."

"Skippah, I'm fine." Private replied with a weak smile. "I'm more worried about you...you were out cold for hours...I thought you were dead!" He wailed the last part, on the edge of becoming hysterical.

Skipper sat up, becoming dizzy and tried to steady himself. "Shhh Private, I'm okay, I'm really sorry for all of this, I should have known you were too young, that this was too dangerous."

"Skippah, I'm fine, really. I'm more worried about you Skippah, are you sure, your okay, you don't look to well. Heck, if I'm fine, you can make it, right? Skippah?"

Skipper blinked a couple time, trying to clear the haze. "I'm okay Private, it's just a little headache, you're a tough little cookie aren't you? Look at this, the little fragile Private unharmed and the big strong leader gets the most bumps and bruises."

"You protected me Skippah," Private whispered. "You made sure I was safe, you took that hard part, thank you Skippah"

_I did that? I don't remember it, but it was probably instinct. I couldn't let the little guy get hurt. Privates unscathed because of me, maybe I'm actually good at protecting him._ "Glad I could help" Skipper said with a smile.

Private looked at him worriedly. "Skippah, I don't think your okay-"

"I'm fine" Skipper interrupted.

"Maybe we should just rest here for a while Skippah, take it easy for a while."

Skipper closed his eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?" He mumbled tiredly.

"Yes Skippah, I'm fine, thanks to you." Private whispered, giving him a hug before he reluctantly drifted off to sleep.

Skipper woke to darkness. He woke startled, how long had he slept? He rubbed his head, he still had a hint of a headache but his mind was clearer.

Private hovered over him worriedly. "Are you feeling any better Skippah?'

Skipper sat up, ruffling the younger's feathers on his head playfully. "I'm fine Private, quit you're worrying. You think a fall from a 10 story building is going to keep me down? Nope."

"It was kind of fun Skippah, once you forget about the falling to your death part and you getting hurt." Private giggled.

"Falling from a 10 story building is fun?" Skipper asked incredibly.

"Well, not for you, but other than that, it was kind of exciting." Private giggled again.

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Skipper asked.

"Nope"

Skipper shook his head. "You sure have a strange idea of fun."

"Hey, if there was a trampoline at the bottom or we had parachutes I'd do it again." Private ventured.

Skipper looked astonished. "You have got to be kidding."

"As long as you didn't get hurt." Private added hurriedly.

Skipper shook his head again. "Come on, we're getting out of here." He stood and climbed down the wall precariously, Private following him. Skipper ushered Private over the fence and into an ally again. "Hungry?"

Private's stomach gurgled in response, causing Private to giggle. "I guess I am."

Skipper let them out of the ally and onto a back road.

Private ducked his head as his stomach let out another gurgle.

"Okay, okay, I get it, your hungry, well get some food, calm down." Skipper laughed, stealthily crossing the road to a deserted convenience store.

Private followed him somewhat un stealthily and watched as Skipper expertly picked the lock, opening it with a flourish.

Private immediately filled his flippers with multiple boxes of peanut butter winkies.

Skipper shook his head. "I don't think all that candy is a good idea." He stated firmly.

Private turned on the puppy dog eyes, looking up at Skipper pleadingly.

"One box" Skipper compromised with sigh, grabbing several bags of chips and other unhealthily snack foods. "I know al this junk food isn't healthy for a growing boy like you, but it's not like there is another choice."

"I don't mind" Private replied, stuffing the usually off limit snacks into his beak,

Skipper watched in astonishment as Private scarfed down a packet of cheesy bits.

"You're going to make yourself sick." Skipper complained, trying to grab the bag from the child.

"But you never let me eat this stuff." Private mumbled, spewing chewed up chips everywhere.

"I wonder why." Skipper said sarcastically, finally succeeding in snatching the bag from him.

Private let out a loud burp, which was followed by a yawn.

"You should probably get to bed," Skipper advised as he searched the break room for a couple of blankets. He scurried back and saw Private curled up in a corner. He folded one blanket as a makeshift pillow and gently placed it under he younger's head.

Private sighed contently as Skipper covered him with a blanket. "Thank you Skippah." Private whispered with a smile and was soon fast asleep.

Skipper made his own bed for the night and wondered if all those years ago when Private had first arrived he could imagine how much the younger would mean to him, sometimes he caught himself thinking Private as his own son. _And yet your giving him away._ Skipper pushed the thought from his mind, falling into a deep sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **so...short chapter, and its kind of boring, sorry about that but hey, its a cliffhanger. *evil laugh.*

Monkey Lover 911- okay...i dont want to give too much away, but i'll try to answer your the questions the best i can. _Will an old arch enemy of Skipper's show up? _um... I'm not sure if he would classify as just skippers enemy,more like he hates all the penguins. _If so will thet enemy try to kidnap Private? _okay, if you havnt already figuired out who the enemy is yet, no, not really, at least not just private. _Will Skipper give Private to his parents when they find them?_ well...lets just say there's quite a plot twist near the end that might stop that from happening. Okay! i've said enough, and probably gave wayyy too much stuff away so just read xD

Oh, and by the way, thanks to everybody who reviewed :D

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Skipper woke early as per usual and knew they had to get moving before the humans showed up. The sun was just beginning to rise as he wiped his eyes drowsily. _Boy, I sure miss my coffee._ He stretched and woke Private.

They put the blankets back and cleaned up the wrappers from last night.

Private clutched the box of peanut butter winkies as if they were a lifesaver. Skipper peeked out into the sidewalk and motioned for Private to follow. He spotted a human and pulled Private into the shadows as the human continued on his way, completely oblivious. Skipper counted under his breath and turned right down another street.

"Um...Skippah? Where are we even going?" Private asked shyly, a hint of doubt in his voice.

Skipper gave him a sharp look. "You think I'd take you out here if I wasn't 100 percent sure where I was going? I've had this planned for years Private, it's foolproof, or maybe idiot-proof is the word." Skipper huffed, stopping in front of a parked UPS truck. "Here's our ride." His voice turned cheery as he set Private up on top of a box and followed. "I figured we'd get tired of walking." He said, making himself comfortable.

"Skippah...you still never told me where we are going."

"England. Obviously, I mean, have you ever heard yourself talk? But if you want to be specific the London Zoo."

Private looked genuinely intrigued. "How'd you do it Skippah? How did you find all this out and plan it...it seems like a lot of work. It's planned all so well..."

"Well I think anybody could come up with a half decent plan in ten years." Skipper chuckled. "To be honest, I never really thought of how much work it would entail when I came up with the idea. I just knew I had to do something to make it up to you; it wouldn't be easy living with an old grump for me. I eventually let Kowalski and Rico in on it and they helped me out. When you fell asleep at night, we left Rico to baby-sit you and Kowalski and I began our research."

"You let Rico look after me?" Private asked incredibly.

"Hey, we knew he wouldn't hurt you, he was quite gentle with you, we had never seen him act like that before, well except for Ms. Perky. Besides, you turned out okay." Skipper gave him a grin and continued. "Anyway, Kowalski hacked into the zoo files and we found a lot of stuff. Your birthday, your previous zoo, your parents, your given name, Private isn't you real name you know" He paused

"Well, come on, tell me." Private said eagerly.

"Sorry, classified." Skipper smirked.

Private gave him a frown. "But you know my parents names right? You'll tell me those, right?"

Skipper cleared his throat nervously. "Amelia and James."

"Amelia and James." Private repeated dreamily. "What if they don't want me back Skippah? Maybe they were happy when they got rid of me, or maybe they meet me and think I'm too weird, or maybe they won't remember me!"

"I'm sure they want you back Private. Your their child, of course they miss you very much, and they cant not like you, that is basically impossible, you'll pull that cute British accent on them and those puppy dog eyes and they wont be able to resist you."

"You think?"

"Yup."

"I think mom will make me yummy cookies and wipe away my tears when I scrape my flipper. Dad will play games with me and always tuck me in a night." Private said happily.

Skipper patted the top of his head fondly.

"It seems like a dream, not a nightmare though, a dream you have and when you wake up you wonder if something that wonderful could really happen in reality."

Skipper couldn't help but smile as the younger's happiness. He was being a little sappy, but it was Private, he was always like that. Seeing Private so happy told him that he had in fact done the right thing.

At that instant, the cargo truck came to a stop, having arriving at its destination. Both penguins ducked as the human shut off the engine and exited the vehicle, passing by the penguins hiding spot unconcerned.

Skipper helped Private down and they sneaked past the warehouse the humans filled and went down to the dock.

"Haha! Silly humans!" Private laughed, sticking out his tongue.

Skipper shook his head at the younger's antics and surveyed the dock. He spotted the cargo ship a few feet down the dock and watched the humans milling around with a mild annoyance. He was debating if he could knock them all out with one blow when a whistle blew, sending the humans on the dock stampeding into the warehouse.

"What's all that about Skippah?" Private asked curiously.

Skipper shrugged his shoulders. "Humans, we'll never understand them. On another note, if we don't get on that ship now, we never will."  
"Ooooh, were going for a boat ride!" Private squealed happily.

"It's no ferry to Staten island Private, its going to be a long ride and far from fun." Skipper warned.

"Wow." Private murmured as they drew closer to the large ship. To the tiny penguin, it seemed to tower above them, even looking a little bit menacing.

"Come on." Skipper hurried the gawking Private aboard the ship. Private stood in awe once aboard before Skipper impatiently dragged him along beside him. "Come on Private, no time for gawking, the humans might be back any minute."

Sure enough, seconds later came the sound of human footsteps. Skipper hurriedly shoved Private behind a tower of boxes, silently cursing the humans and their horrible timing; they hadn't even had the time to find decent hiding spot.

Skipper crouched in the dark, hoping neither of them was claustrophobic

"Skippah?" Private whispered.

"Shhhh." Skipper chided,

"Sorry Skippah, I just wanted to make sure you were there." Private whispered again.

"Shhh." Skipper insisted again, this time with a small smile.

It seemed like a lifetime before the footsteps faded away to nothing. Skipper waited a few minutes, wanting to make sure the coast was clear. He stood slowly, stretching his cramped legs.

"That was a close one." Private said with a nervous giggle.

"Too close." Skipper agreed as he helped Private out of their hiding spot.

"Well well well, look what I found; penguins." Said a familiar voice from behind them.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** shoutout to Rainshadow999 and AlaskaForever for guessing correctly xD

and thanks again to everybody who reviewed.

* * *

"We meet again." Officer X said with a smirk. He cracked his knuckles and lunged towards Skipper. "I think its time for you to ship out."

Skipper rolled his eyes. _The puns, it's the worst part!_ He barely dodged out of X's grasp and took off down the hallway. "Run!"

Private obeyed and followed Skipper.

"X! Why X? Anybody except X!" Skipper muttered aloud.

They belly slid down the hallway and rounded a corner, Officer X hot on their heels.

"Skippah!" Private cried worriedly.

Skipper wracked his brain for a plan. _Ah, why didn't I bring Kowalski? Now would be a good time for some options! Okay Skipper, think... there's no way we can evade him on the boat...and we're penguins, we can swim better than humans, right?_ He peered down at the water below them and knew they didn't have a choice. Private had begun to tire and Officer X was gaining on them, if they waited much longer they would be captured.

"We're going to have to go into the water!" He shouted to the younger. He thought he saw a glimpse of doubt in the younger's eyes but it quickly disappeared as Private nodded.

Skipper led them to the edge of the boat; Officer X caught up to them and let out an evil laugh.

"I got you penguins now! You though you could outsmart me, but not any more! Soon everybody will know about you penguins, they wont think I'm crazy anymore-wait, isn't there 4 of you? Where are the other two? You can't hide from me, I'll find you."

That was their chance, X had turned his back and Skipper pulled Private into the ocean after him, taking a deep breath of air while he could.

The water hit them with a sudden rush, the icy coldness a shock against the warm night air. He heard Private gasp as he went under and closed his eyes himself as the cold darkness pulled him under._ Cold. Cold._ Everything was cold. It was all he could feel; the icy chill seeping into his veins, trying to lull him to a silent death. He was about to finally surrender to the darkness when he felt two tiny flippers wrap around his midsection, clinging to him desperately. It was that action that spurred Skipper back to the present. Those teeny tiny flippers trusting him with his life. He swam furiously, finally breaking the surface of the water and gasping for air.

"Skippah." Private whimpered.

He hugged the smaller protectively. "Shhh, its okay Private."

"I'm cold Skippah!" Private cried.

"I know, I'm sorry." Skipper murmured.

"Think I'm afraid of a little water penguins? Too bad for you I'm not." Skipper heard a splash and knew Officer X had jumped in the water after them

"I know your cold Private, but we have to swim away, come on, I know you can do it."

Private hiccupped. "I'm too cold to swim."

Skipper saw Officer X drawing closer to them and began swimming desperately, towing little Private along beside him. "Come on Private, you have to try, please."

Private followed Skipper's gaze behind them and stifled a gasp. "It's Officer X, Skippah! He's after us!" At this moment, Private broke free and put on a burst of speed. "Come on Skippah! Swim faster! We can't let him catch us!"

Skipper caught up with the younger and felt relieved. He knew if they could outlast X in the water, they would be fine. They could circle back to the boat and stay out of sight this time, even penguins couldn't stay in the cold water forever, especially not little Private.

"Just keep swimming; just keep swimming just keep swimming, swimming, swimming." Private chanted in a singsong voice.

Skipper kept checking behind them periodically, noticing X had slowed considerably.

"Private." He motioned for them to circle back to the boat. Private looked back at X worriedly. "Don't worry, we can make it."

Private looked back one last time at the human bobbing in the water. "I know he's not a nice person Skippah, but I'd just feel terrible if he were hurt...or even dead."

Skipper tried not to laugh. "You're the only penguin or human who would ever say that about an enemy. Don't worry though, he won't die, the humans will rescue him, they take care of their own, even the ones who don't deserve it."

As if on cue, the humans spilled out of the boat and began combing the waters.

Skipper was glad for the darkness that had fallen as they slid into the shadows on the other side of the boat.

"I'm going to have to throw you up so you can get a rope for me, okay?"

Private giggled. "The penguin baseball."

Skipper laughed himself but did sound apologetic. "Sorry, but your a lot smaller than me...but...if you don't want to, we can always just wait here in the freezing cold water."

"Okay okay, you don't need to convince me Skippah."

"Just remember the rope." Skipper reminded.

"Don't worry Skippah, I wouldn't leave you down there in the cold water." Private said and then he was whizzing through the air. "Hey! Look at me, I'm flyyying!" He shouted gleefully, flapping his flippers as if they were wings. "Oof." He smacked into the side of the boat and knew Skipper would be face palming down below. He frantically stretched up his flipper and grasped the edge of the railing. With a grunt and a great deal of effort, he pulled himself up over the railing and collapsed on the deck. He pulled himself up and waved a Skipper, letting him know he wasn't hurt.

He scurried away and found himself in a dark storage room. "Rope," He muttered to himself, swiftly searching through the boxes. He felt himself begin to panic until he found what he was looking for in the last box. He hurried back over to the edge and looked down in the water.

Skipper spotted him immediately. "Tie one end to something secure before you throw it down." He instructed.

Private cringed as the wind carried their voiced around. He snuck a glance over at the other side of the boat, breathing a sigh of relief that the humans hadn't heard them.

_But I can't tie a knot!_ Private wanted to scream his thoughts aloud in frustration but he didn't, he didn't want to be a disappointment to Skipper. _I have to show him that I don't mess up everything, that I'm dependable._ He wrapped one end of the rope around one of the wooden support beams for the side of the boat and fiddled with it nervously, trying to secure it.

A human's voice came from around the corner and Private dove under the nearest tarp, his heart pounding as he held his breath.

"Hmmm, looks like one of the ropes came loose." The human said.

Private peered out cautiously, spotting a human bending to tie the rope.

"There, all better." The human gave a satisfactory nod at his work before continuing on his way.

Private whispered a thank you for his good luck and hurried to the side of the boat once again.

"Skippah, catch." Private said softly as he threw down the rope.

Skipper caught it with a grin and shimmied up. He dropped to the deck next to Private, who was looking around worriedly.

"The humans are coming but I think I found a spot where we could hide, it's a storage room and from the amount of cobwebs I'd say the humans aren't very fond of going in there-"

Skipper shot the youngest an intense look and Private closed his beak. "Sorry Skippah, sometimes I ramble on when I'm nervous-"

He was cut off again as Skipper, losing the little patience he had, shoved him forward.

They reached the tiny room without any encounters with the humans, luckily. Skipper looked around, impressed by the younger's find. _Private was right about it not being too popular to the humans, everything is covered in cobwebs and dust._ "Good find Private." He told the youngest cadet, giving him a pat on the head.

Private beamed from the praise. "Thank you Skippah."

"You will be a good leader someday." Skipper said nostalgically, and then corrected himself. "Would have been." He shut up and looked away awkwardly. He found the least dirty blanket and placed it on the ground. "Get some sleep and I'll clean up a bit." He offered, making a face of disgust at the layer of dust on a box.

"It's not really that bad Skippah, I can help you." Private protested with a sneeze.

"I sure hope you don't get sick." Skipper said worriedly, giving Private another blanket. "I may not be a total clean freak, but even I know that it's not healthy like this." He muttered aloud, but stopped when he had noticed that Private had quickly fallen asleep.

Skipper smiled, ignoring the nagging feeling that soon he would never see the child again and busied himself cleaning.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** sadly, today was the first day back to school (D':) and thats going to mess up my updating schedule, sorry bout that, but i hope to have at least a chapter up once a week(i think theres only like 2 chapters left).

thanks again to everybody who reviewed (sheesh, i say this too much xD)

* * *

Skipper eventually did fall asleep; he stood slouched against the wall, his head resting on a box. He was awoken as Private nearly barrelled him over. Private looked up tearfully as he latched onto the older.

Skipper wiped his eyes sleepily, feeling his heart drop at the little bundle before him. He sighed sadly and crouched down. "What's wrong Private?" he asked, although he was sure he already knew the answer.

"I had a nightmare." Private blubbered.

Skipper sighed again. He should be used to it by now, it wasn't exactly the first time Private had a nightmare, and he certainly didn't believe it would be the last. _Although it may be the last time it happens when he's with me._

"Can I sleep with you?" Private sniffled hopefully

Skipper smiled, he couldn't say no to him, he never had, it would just break his heart. He scooped up the child and carried him back to his blanket.

They settled down and Private snuggled up to the older, sighing contently.

Skipper could help but remember the first time Private had a nightmare.

~~~~~~~~~~~flashback~~~~~~~~~~

It was the first night that he started crying. Really loudly. Each penguin, except Skipper that is, who was lying in his bunk and trying to block out the wailing, tried to comfort the young baby, but to no avail. Skipper stuffed a pillow over his ear holes, trying to forget his unit had been interrupted by a stupid baby. An annoying, loud, crying baby. Private didn't want Kowalski or Rico and their comfort; he crawled over to the reserved leader and clamoured up onto his stomach. Skipper let out a humph as he tried to remove the child from him, but Private grabbed the leaders chest feathers, refusing to let go. He looked up at the stony cold leader pitifully and from that moment on had the ability to warm his heart. Private stubbornly clung to him until he stopped crying and fell asleep. Eventually Skipper grudgingly wrapped a flipper around the child, admitting that maybe he liked the little bundle of warmth on his abdomen.

~~~~~~~~~~real time~~~~~~~~~

He looked down at the child fondly, a smile on his face. _He's grown so much, but he's still little Private. _

"Sweet dream's young Private." he whispered.

The next morning private shook the older awake. "Skippah." Skipper mumbled tiredly and sat up.

"I'm hungry Skippah." Private pouted.

_Crud._ He felt the hunger pains in his own stomach and realized they hadn't eaten in a while. He sprang up, wondering how he could have been so careless. "Sorry private, come on, we'll go find some food."

Private tripped when the was almost out he door but Skipper caught him by the scuff of the neck,

"Actually, I think you should stay here." Skipper advised.

Private frowned, plopping down on a box to pout but only succeeded in causing it to split open.

Skipper gave him a disappointed look as the various contents from the box spilled everywhere. Private leapt up hastily and began cleaning up the mess, meanwhile, Skipper slipped away and headed back to the deck they had been on when they had first arrived, his gut was telling him there was fish in those boxes.

He scanned the area, and once he was assured it was human free, pried open a box. He let out a victory smile as fish tumbled out. He gathered some in his flippers and covered the box with a tarp so the humans wouldn't notice anything amiss. He got back to their hideout and triumphantly dropped the fish. "Hungry?"

Private hurried over with a humongous smile and began eating happily. "I put the stuff away Skippah." Private said proudly between bites. "I may mess up a whole lot of things, but I fix them Skippah...I don't want to be a burden." He whispered the last part, his voice getting lower and lower with each word.

_Crud. Are we really going to have this conversation right now? I know I might treat him harshly sometimes, but he needs his training. I have high expectations for him, maybe I did push him too hard sometimes, but I just wanted the best for him, I thought I was doing that._ Skipper let out a long sigh and sat beside Private, who shied away from him.

"Hey." He said softly, pulling Private closer to him. Private began sniffling and Skipper rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on. _What was it he had heard the humans say? Children were headaches. No, private isn't a headache, well okay, maybe sometimes, but I love him, and he sure as heck isn't a burden! He's just a poor kid who got stuck with me, it's not his fault. I know I'm not exactly the most comfortingly person, but I'm trying, children just aren't my thing. Maybe its the trip, its stressing everybody out._

Skipper precariously leaned over to the hug the cadet, afraid that he might break, he looked so fragile. "Look Private, your not a burden, I don't know where you got that idea but I wish you wouldn't think that way. I'll admit, I'm not too good with kids, or at the parenting thing, Kowalski would have been a better choice, heck, even Rico would have been a better choice." He saw a smile flicker across Private's face and continued. "I'm sorry private, I know I'm not doing a very good job with you, but whatever happens, you not a burden, your a gift; a little bundle of giggling happiness. Okay, I'll admit, at first I wasn't to sure I wanted to take on the job of babysitter, but you've grown on me, I really do care about you. Yes, I know I treat you harsh sometimes, in fact downright horrible, but I just want the best for you, even if that mean not coddling you..." Skipper trailed off, not being one for sincere talks.

"So...you get angry at me because you care...?"

Skipper laughed. "Okay, I know it doesn't make much sense, but...it's true."

Private laughed and hugged him tightly. "Then I guess you're doing a pretty good job Skippah...thanks."

Skipper smiled awkwardly. "Okay then." He said impatiently, having his fill of the mushy feely stuff.

"Skippah, I'm trying to have a heartfelt moment, why can't you just enjoy it?" Private giggled,

"We all don't like sappy, mushy, touchy feely moments like you do Private." Skipper said teasingly.

The next few days passed uneventfully, until one day everything fell apart. _Humans. They're screaming. _Skipper sprang to his feet in panic, urgently shoving the door open. The boat beneath them buckled and shifted. _The ships sinking!_ He felt his heart drop and wondered if the mission would be a fail, if this one mistake could jeopardize everything. _Not on my watch! I won't let the idiot humans disappoint Private._

Private fell into Skipper from the uneven floor and looked scared. "Skippah? What's going on? The boat doesn't feel right."

Skipper picked up Private, raced back out to the deck, and gulped down at the violent waves. _What other option do I have?_ "Looks like were going to have to go for another swim." Skipper announced grimly.

This time Skipper didn't let go of the child as they hit the water. The icy cold tendrils couldn't drag him down, no, not this time. They broke the surface coughing and sputtering.

They watched as the humans panicked above them, soon the water would be littered with them.

"Stupid humans! They can't even use a boat without wrecking it!" Skipper shouted angrily into the morning sky, pulling Private along in the general direction the boat had been travelling.

"It's all right Skippah, I can swim by myself." Private said bravely.

"Just be careful, stay close to me." Skipper warned as he let him go.

"Skippah? Are the humans going to be all right?" Private asked worriedly.

Skipper squinted behind the, the boat was in the far distance now. "They'll be fine." he reassured the younger.

"Good." Private responded, and they lapsed into silence again, putting more and more distance between them and the shipwreck.


	7. Chapter 7

Skipper could tell they were getting closer to shore just by watching Private, who was wiggling with anticipation.

"Ants in your pants?" Skipper asked playfully.

Private gave him a quizzical look. "But we don't wear pants Skippah." He stated in a confused voice.

Skipper chuckled. "Its something the humans say, it means you're so excited you can't stay still-"

"I see land Skippah! We're finally here! We made it! Oh thank you Skippah!" Private joyfully hugged his leader as they finally reached the shore.

"We aren't there yet, once your safe and we find your parents then you can thank me."

Private sighed as they climbed up the steep rocky incline. "Its so..."

"Englishly modest." Skipper finished in a horrible British accent

Private rolled his eyes. "I was going to say stunning." The English countryside was in fact magnificent to the youngster's eyes.

"Well, I hate to tell you but were going to have to find somewhere to spend the night, its kind of late."

"Its okay Skippah, I already waited this long, I guess another day couldn't hurt, right?"

Skipper led them away from the wharf and towards a tiny cluster of houses towards inland. They crept around to the backyard of one of the more secluded houses. Skipper pulled Private over to a shed and told him to go inside. He snatched a couple of blankets that were hanging outside and joined Private.

It was quiet bare for a shed. Along one wall sat a lawnmower and at the back lay a few gardening tools. Private claimed his spot as he plopped down tiredly.

Skipper settled in his own corner, already having given Private a blanket and was nearly asleep when he heard the younger's voice. "Will you miss me?"

"That's a stupid question."

"Because I'll miss you a lot Skippah, K'walski and Rico too, I miss them already." A few tears trickled down his face at the thought of his teammates hundreds of miles away.

"Please don't cry," Skipper pleaded. "Remember how much you wanted to meet your parents, I'm sure you'll like them a lot more than grumpy old me." He stopped as he heard the pitter patter of tiny feet coming towards him. Tiny flippers wrapped around his midsection and Private snuggled up to the older. "It's a part of growing up Private; you leave some people to meet other people."

"Do you miss anybody Skippah?"

"Well...I guess I miss Manfredi and Johnson a bit..."

"But Manfredi and Johnson are dead Skippah! Does that mean your going to die? You can't die Skippah!" Private cried hysterically.

Skipper mentally face palmed. "Hey, stop it; I don't plan on dying anytime soon." He laughed to try to lighten the mood.

"You promise you won't die? If I'm not there to protect you you just might."

Skipper let out a genuine chuckle. "I think that's the other way around little buddy."

"But do you promise Skippah?"

Skipper rolled his eyes. "I'll die eventually-" He saw the horrified look on Private's face and trailed off. "Okay, I promise, I won't die for a real long time, happy?"

"Good." Private mumbled as his tears lessened and his eyes began to close.

"Goodnight Private."

"G'night Skippah."

The next morning Private woke Skipper excitedly, practically bouncing up and down from excitement. "Come on Skippah." he encouraged.

"I'm up." Skipper mumbled tiredly.

Private jumped up and down. "No you're not Skippah."

Skipper rolled over tiredly. "It's not even light out, how can you be so energetic this early in the morning?"

Private cocked his head worriedly. "You aren't sick are you Skippah?"

"Of course not-"

"Then why are you acting like this, your always the first one up."

"This is a bit earlier than even I wake up."

Private giggled. "Sorry Skippah, but I'm just so excited!"

Skipper stood up with a sigh. "Well I guess we should find some breakfast."

They headed outside, finding some fish in a shallow brook. They caught their breakfast and retreated back into the trees out of sight and sat down.

"Actually Skippah, I'm too nervous to eat." Private gave his fish a heart hearted poke.

"You have to eat Private."

"But I have butterflies in my tummy."

"Well don't butterflies eat?" Skipper questioned. Private seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Eat your fish."

"Do butterflies eat fish?"

Skipper rolled his eyes. "Eat."

Private sighed and obediently ate his fish.

Skipper stood. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Private said nervously.

"You'll be fine." Skipper gave Private a pat on the head and they started through the woods until they eventually emerged onto a back road. Private skipped ahead humming a merry tune. This continued for some time until the gravel road turned to asphalt.

They met a brook and decided to have lunch. Private nearly face planted as he went after a fish in the water, but caught himself against some rocks.

"Would you like some help?" Skipper teased.

"Nope." Private replied determinedly, plopping down in the water. He reached out against the current to snag a fish swimming by and shot Skipper a victorious look.

Private clamoured out of the water and pressed his face against Skippers chest in a bear hug. "I really am going to miss you."

Skipper inwardly sighed. _Not again. _"You're supposed to be happy." He said a little harshly. "I went to all this trouble and now you're just a big blubbering baby!"

"So this is just because you don't want me around anymore, because you think I'm just a bug blubbering baby." Private said darkly. "You found a place you could dump me and never see me again, that must have made you really happy, didn't it Skippah?" Private didn't cry, but Skipper could see the hurt clearly visible on his face.

_Crud. That's not what I want at all! Where does he get these ridiculous ideas?_ "That's not true!" Skipper protested.

Private didn't look convinced. "You hate me."

"Stop it! If I hated you, why would I go to all this trouble for you?"

"If you really wanted to get rid of me, you'd do anything." Private said coldly, crossing his flippers angrily.

"I don't want to get rid of you Private! I hate the thought of you not being in HQ watching that stupid show if yours or saying all that touchy feely stuff. I'm going to miss you a lot, but I'm trying to do what's best for you! I thought you might appreciate it if I tried to do a nice thing!"

"Liar."

Skipper shook his head in exasperation. "We can't stand here arguing all day."

"Why does it matter to you? Why do you even pretend to care? Why don't you just leave me here and I'll find my own way, I wouldn't want to be a bother to you any longer!" Private tried to storm away but Skipper caught him by the flipper. Private tried to shake him off but he was no match for Skipper's death grip. "Let me go! You can't boss me around Skippah, you aren't my dad! I hate you Skippah! Let me go!"

The words were like a slap in the face. Skipper staggered back unsteadily and tried to cover up how much the words had hurt him. "I don't care how you feel Private, you're my responsibility and I'm not letting you go until your safe."

Private gasped at his own words. "I'm sorry Skippah, I didn't mean it! I was just angry Skippah!" Skipper shrugged his shoulders, feeling numb. "Skippah!" Private tugged on the older's flipper tearfully. "Skippah, please forgive me! I didn't mean it, honest! I don't want you angry at me."

As hard as it was, Skipper barely gave him a glance and wordlessly continued on their way.

They eventually reached the city and Skipper quickly covered Private's beak when a human curiously looked their way. "You have to be quiet." Skipper hissed.

"I don't hate you Skippah, I promise. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." Private whimpered.

Skipper sighed irritatedly. "Okay, I forgive you."

"Really?"

"Yes." Skipper said sharply.

Private looked up as they reached the zoo entrance. "Skippah! We're here! We finally made it!

Skipper didn't respond as he was busy picking the lock. The gate swung open and Private was ushered inside. "Well..." Skipper said awkwardly. "Bye."

"No!" Private shouted a little too loudly. He lowered his voice back to normal. "I want you to meet them Skippah." Private pulled skipper to the penguin habitat.

"How did you know where it was?"

"Just a hunch." Private smiled.

Both penguins peered into the habitat curiously.

A petite female penguin approached them. "Can I help y'all?"

Private frowned. "You don't talk like me."

Skipper swatted him. "Sorry about him." He apologized.

The female penguin laughed. "Its all right, I was shipped here, I'm not from England, my names Kristen, how can I help you folks?"

"Well actually, were here to see Private's parents, Amelia and James." Skipper answered.

Kristen let out a little gasp and at the names and looked at them with concern. "Don't y'all know what happened?"

Private turned his attention to Kristen and Skipper shook his head, getting a bad feeling ion his gut. Kristen took a deep breath. "oh...my...well...I don't really know how to say this...but..." her voice lowered to a whisper." I'm mighty sorry for you folks but Amelia and James are... dead."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** last chapter! thanks to everybody who reviewed, followed or favorited or even read it xD

Private slumped to the ground at the words, looking as if all the life had been drained out of him. Skipper's beak fell open and his heart saddened for the little child. Kristen looked down worriedly at Private and spoke to Skipper in hushed tones. "They got sick right after this little guy was shipped out, the humans said it was just in time or Private might have gotten sick too. It was a mighty sad time, I've heard a lot about this kid from Amelia and James, they were awfully worried about him."

Skipper could barely comprehend what he was hearing. The penguin lying on the ground looked nothing like the Private he knew, he just looked deflated, whatever had been keeping him going was gone, leaving him looking utterly empty.

"I really am sorry for you folks." Kristen offered her condolences. "If there's anything I can do for you folks, I'd be glad to help, it's a mighty shame I tell you."

Skipper nodded his thanks and knelt down beside the younger. "Private?" The child looked foreign and detached, just an empty shell, it broke his heart seeing Private like this. "Private." Skipper repeated. The youngest looked up with a vacant expression. Now that Skipper had his attention, he wasn't sure what to say. "I'm sorry Private, I really am." He moved to hug him and realised they were both soaking wet, it had begun raining and neither has noticed.

Kristen came over to them and wrapped them both in blankets. "Come in out of the rain." She said gently, guiding them over to an overhang.

Skipper watched with a heavy heart as Kristen made sure Private was settled for the night. _It's not fair that this happened to him, he doesn't deserve it! Those records were years old, what was I thinking? Why didn't I recheck? How could I depend on a plan made almost a decade ago? If only I had checked one last time, I could have saved him from this kind of pain-_

He looked up as Kristen hovered over him worriedly. "You all right?"

Skipper tried to smile. "I'm all right ma'am; it's him I'm worried about." He jerked his head towards Private, who was moving in his sleep restlessly. "I'd like to thank you for your hospitality miss, I appreciate it."

"Oh its fine. I do feel bad for the boy, you fellas are welcome to stay as long as you want, you hear?"

"Thank you ma'am."

"Are you sure you're all right? Anything I can get you? Some food, another blanket?"

"I'm fine, thank you,"

"Okay...I sure hope you guys will be okay." _So do I._

She walked away but Skipper couldn't sleep.

He heard Private cry out in his sleep. "Mommy! Daddy!" Skipper contemplated going over and trying to comfort him, but wasn't sure if he should. _ What would I even say? I wouldn't be able to help him in anyway, it's not right; he's too young to be dealing with this kind of grief._ Private called out again, this time calling his name, he stumbled over and scooped up the tiny bundle in his flippers and cradled him against his chest.

Private woke with a start, his big round scared eyes meeting Skipper's tired ones. "It wasn't a dream, was it? It was real, I can feel it here." Private pointed to his heart.

"I'm sorry Private, I really am. I didn't know, I promise, if I did I would have never taken you here, I just wish there was some way I could help you."

"I'll never meet them. Ever. I won't know what they looked like; I won't know their favourite foods, or favourite movies or TV shows or...anything... I won't ever know them. I won't ever know if I look like my mom or my dad, if they'd be happy to see me. They wont ever hug me, they wont ever say my name, it wont ever happen, its really impossible now, there's no possibilities, they're gone...I never knew them but I miss them so much!" Private finally began to cry and Skipper rocked him gently, until the child drifted off into a grief-laden sleep.

It continued for a week, Private did nothing but cry, and if he wasn't crying, he was eerily quiet, staring blankly ahead, locking himself away somewhere inside. He wouldn't eat, and he couldn't sleep. Skipper couldn't help but wonder if he would ever be the same cheery little Private, everybody knew and loved.

Skipper was there everyday, holding him, telling him everything would be all right, although sometimes he doubted if Private would ever be all right again. It hurt him to see Private like that and knowing there was nothing he could do to help him, this was one battle Private had to fight for himself. Kristen fussed over him like a mother hen, whispering how much his parents had talked about him, had never forgotten about him.

Everyday they tried desperately to reach him, but Private drew more into himself, causing Skipper to border on hysteria. That is, until one rainy day about a week after they had arrived. "I want to go home." Private said bluntly.

"If you're sure." Skipper said shakily, wondering if leaving such a decision to such a broken soul had been a wide choice.

Private stood up, shaky from the days of stillness and hugged Kristen. "Thank you for being kind to me, I'm sorry I bothered you."

"You were no bother at all child." Kristen replied sadly. "I'm sorry for you loss, I really am, but they loved you a lot and would be happy that your safe and sound."

Private nodded weakly ands Skipper wondered if it would send him off crying. For a little while he would have to treat Private delicately, he was fragile now. Private had seemed to run out of tears though as he said goodbye dry eyed.

There was a hint of sadness in his voice now and Skipper hopped it would eventually fade. It would take tie, but the child would heal eventually.

Once on the other side of the gates Skipper put a flipper around the younger's shoulder comfortingly. They walked in silence for a little while. "It stupid really." Private said finally, his voice sounded scratchy from lack of use and Skipper could detect weariness in it.

It was a rhetorical question but Skipper tried to answer it anyway. "I think your mourning the idea of parents, that they were out there somewhere, you had hope, but now...you don't. Its okay private-"

"No Skippah, this whole thing was stupid and I'm sorry for dragging you all the way out here for nothing."

"It wasn't for nothing, besides, it was my idea-"

"Yes it was Skippah." Private came to a halt. "It was a stupid idea based on frivolous fantasies, stupid hope and dreams, it was selfish of me Skippah, but don't worry, I learned my lesson. I had my family with me all this time, I didn't need a mom or dad, brothers, or sisters, I already have you, Kowalski and Rico. You guys are my family and I should have realised it from the start, I don't need to go searching for my family, they've always been there with me. I shouldn't have gone looking for a dad; I already have the best father figurer ever, because he cares about me. Blood and genetics and all that stuff don't mean anything, the only thing that matters is that if you have people around you who care, they're your family. Your the best Skippah, even if you don't think so, you took me all the way here because you cared, I love you Skippah." Private flung his flippers around his leaders in a sincere hug. "Thank you for always being there."

"Well-" Skipper stopped, finally admitting that maybe Private was right. He smiled as he hugged the younger back tightly and they continued on their way home, where they belonged.


End file.
